from the editor
A Push in the Right Direction
By Luis M. Zabala, MD
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Children’s Medical Center, Dallas
These are exciting times for the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society! This year marks our 10 year anniversary. As I write this message, it occurs to me that as the new newsletter editor, this is an important time to look back and acknowledge the work of our previous editors. I have the privilege of being the third official editor for the newsletter, following the exceptional work of Dr. Courtney Hardy and Dr. Mark Twite. As editors, they both excelled at maintaining an open line of communication between the society and all its members. The entire repertoire of newsletters archived on the CCAS website are a testament of their diligent work. These issues are rich in educational content and a pleasure to read. No doubt I have big shoes to fill, but I am pleased to know that I can always reach out and ask for their advice.
According to John C. Crosby, “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” For many of us, this is what the CCAS has been. Since its conception, our society has provided high quality education through our exceptional meetings, profound advances through research, a growing database, and countless friends. Every year our society’s membership has increased because of the testament of interest in our field and as a way for new members to access our physician leadership. Our footprint has expanded across international boarders, with 2014 having the largest increase of international members. After 10 years of hard work, we can safely say that our society is strong and has paved the way for important mentorship and a ‘push in the right direction.’
This year Dr. Gregory Latham from Seattle Children’s Hospital has taken the role of associate newsletter editor, and Dr. Viviane Nasr from Boston Children’s Hospital’s has assumed the role of newsletter - education initiatives editor (a new position in our structure). Dr. Latham is no stranger to the newsletter. For the past two years he has brought us the meeting minutes we enjoy reading during our summer issue. He is an extraordinary writer and a great addition to the newsletter. Dr. Nasr joined us late this summer and will help develop a more structured educational theme as we move forward. She has also taken a leadership role in updating the CCAS website. Welcome Gregory and Viviane!
In this newsletter Dr. Destiny F. Chau from Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters and Dr. Meera Gangadharan from University of Texas – Galveston delight us with their in-depth look at the “Postoperative Disposition of Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension.” Much has been described in the past about the intraoperative management of patients with pulmonary hypertension in the anesthesia literature; nevertheless little has been defined in regards to the minimal level of acuity in recovery for these patients when undergoing even the simplest procedure. The authors present us with a systematic review of the literature evaluating the severity of disease, procedural risk and anesthetic implications as a method for stratifying perioperative risk and planning postoperative disposition. A commentary section follows their article from three experts in the field, all from different institutions stating their own recovery practice and adding depth of knowledge on the subject.
The second article in this issue is a vibrant example of multidisciplinary work. Dr. Latham brings us a remarkable review on Pediatric Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMRI), supported by his colleagues Dr. Sujatha Buddhe and Dr. Brian Soriano, both experts in the field of pediatric cardiac imaging form the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at Seattle Children’s Hospital. This article takes us through the reasoning and technicalities of the CMRI process and culminates with an excellent review to the anesthetics implications. These articles are both excellent resources with great references now available to our readers. Kudos to the authors!
A brilliant author once said, “The secret of keeping ahead is getting started." That is exactly what the leaders of our society did 10 years ago and now it’s up to us to keep ahead. Those interested in contributing to the Newsletter or our Website, we are looking for new ideas on how to improve, refresh and disseminate educational topics amongst all members.
Please contact Dr. Lathman, Dr. Nasr, or myself and we will be there to listen. Enjoy the newsletter and hope to see you in Arizona.
